The family of a woman accidentally killed by police is speaking out Wednesday as their attorney files an amended lawsuit against the Miami Police Department.
Evelyn Valdes was an innocent bystander when a stray bullet from a Miami Police officer hit her during an incident in Wynwood in 2025.
Two weeks ago, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office cleared the three officers involved of wrongdoing. Monday, they released body-worn camera video from one of the officers. That prompted the amended complaint filed by the family.
The bodycam video shows one of the officers firing his gun at Norman Lindo, but the gunshots are not audible because, the State Attorney’s Office says, the officer had his camera on mute at that point in the incident. Audio kicks in after 14 shots had been fired. The officers at the scene had no idea that Valdes, a passenger in a passing car, had been hit. She died at the hospital.
“My sister is looked at right now as collateral damage,” said Jose Valdes, Evelyn’s brother, in a news conference Wednesday.
Authorities released police body camera footage of a police shooting in Wynwood that killed a gunman and an innocent bystander in 2025. NBC6’s Ari Odzer reports
The family’s attorney says there’s no evidence that any of the three officers who fired their weapons ordered Lindo to drop his gun.
“Yes, there was an individual with a gun, but the videos show they started shooting at him without using any de-escalatory tactics, they did not ask him to drop his weapon, to put down his weapon, to cease and desist,” said Ray Rasco, the lawyer representing Valdes’ family.
The State Attorney’s Office close-out memo says the opposite, that two of the officers “instructed Lindo to drop his weapon.”
“It’s very clear from multiple angles and footage that the firearm was never pointed at anyone, his arm was fully extended to the ground,” said Jose Valdes. “They’re definitely trying to cover up something, they’re definitely trying to find a way to protect these officers that were involved.”
Miami Police told us they cannot comment because of the pending litigation.
“They shot because they were scared for their lives and lives of civilians, but what about my daughter? My daughter was a civilian, too, and they killed her, not the suspect, so I’m angry, yes, it’s wrong, it’s definitely a coverup and it’s sad that the system has failed us,” said Kristy Garcia, Evelyn’s mother.